Peer-Reviewed Research: A Forty-Five Year Follow-Up EEG Study of Qigong Practice

In the study titled “A Forty-Five Year Follow-Up EEG Study of Qigong Practice”, Qin et al. (2009) explore the long-term effects of meditative Qigong practice on the brain’s electrical activity. Drawing from the unique opportunity to revisit EEG data recorded from a subject in 1962 and compare it with new data from the same subject in 2007, the authors provide rare insight into whether short-term EEG alterations commonly seen during meditation evolve into long-term (trait-based) neurophysiological changes. This review critically examines the design, findings, and implications of the study, assessing its contributions to meditation research and neuroscience.

Study Rationale and Background

The paper builds upon the existing literature which has consistently shown transient changes in EEG patterns during meditation, especially in alpha and theta frequency bands. Previous research by Cahn and Polich (2006), among others, had summarized these state-dependent EEG effects. However, most studies have been cross-sectional, making it difficult to determine if meditation causes permanent changes in brain activity, or if individuals with certain baseline EEG traits are simply more likely to engage in meditation (a self-selection bias). Qin et al. tackle this gap by tracking the same individual across five decades.

The authors’ earlier work in 1962 identified alpha-2 dominant activity (occipital, around 10 Hz) during meditation. The question posed in the current study is whether 45 years of continued practice transforms this transient pattern into a persistent resting-state trait—effectively reconfiguring the brain's default neuroelectrical activity.

Methodology

Participants

The primary subject (“Ms”) was a 76-year-old Chinese male with 50 years of Qigong experience. Two long-term Caucasian meditators (25+ years) served as secondary controls, practicing mantra-based meditation. A comparison group of six age-matched non-meditators was also included.

Procedure

Participants underwent resting EEG recordings and, for meditators, an extended meditation session of at least 30 minutes. EEGs were captured pre-, during, and post-meditation using 19-electrode configurations based on the international 10–20 system. Artifact-free epochs were analyzed using FFT to extract power spectral density and coherence values, particularly focusing on alpha-1 (6.5–8.5 Hz), alpha-2 (8.5–12.5 Hz), theta, and beta bands.

Analysis

Topographic mapping and coherence analysis were employed to determine regional dominance and inter-regional synchronization. Coherence was computed for frontal-frontal (F3-F4), parietal-parietal (P3-P4), and fronto-parietal (F3-P3 and F4-P4) pairs at the individual peak alpha frequency.

Key Results

1. Shift in Alpha Rhythm Topography

The most striking finding was a shift in Ms’ alpha activity from occipital alpha-2 (10 Hz) in 1962 to frontal alpha-1 (8.1 Hz) in 2007, even at rest. This anterior frontal alpha-1 was not seen in non-meditating controls. The presence of this pattern prior to meditation suggests a durable neurophysiological change, supporting the concept of meditation as inducing lasting "trait" effects.

2. Alpha Power and Coherence Enhancement

Upon entering meditation, Ms’ frontal alpha-1 power surged by 787%, peaking at 27.5 μV², and remained elevated (603%) post-meditation. Notably, this occurred rapidly—within one minute of beginning Qigong—and propagated across the scalp. Theta and beta bands also increased (50% and 583% respectively), while delta remained low, ruling out drowsiness.

Intrahemispheric coherence (F3-P3, F4-P4) and interhemispheric coherence (P3-P4) significantly increased during meditation. Ms had near-maximal F3-F4 coherence (0.96) even at rest, suggesting strong baseline synchrony across frontal regions.

3. Comparisons with Other Meditators and Controls

Similar but less pronounced effects were observed in the other two meditators. Non-meditators showed consistent occipital alpha-2 dominance with no change in power or coherence. This further underscores the association between meditation experience and EEG trait transformation.

Discussion

Trait vs. State in Meditation

This study is unique in demonstrating a within-subject shift from a transient (state) EEG pattern to a persistent (trait) EEG signature after decades of meditative practice. Ms’ frontal alpha-1 dominance, present even before meditating, suggests a neural adaptation to the cognitive and attentional demands of Qigong. Prior studies, including Aftanas & Golocheikine (2001, 2003, 2005), reported similar patterns in long-term meditators, but this study’s 45-year follow-up establishes a causal trajectory rather than a cross-sectional correlation.

Implications for Brain Plasticity

The transformation seen in Ms likely reflects long-term plasticity. Previous research on musicians (Elbert et al., 1995) and meditators (Lazar et al., 2005) has shown increased cortical thickness and altered brain maps with sustained practice. Qin et al.’s findings suggest that meditative effort, like physical skill training, can rewire neuroelectrical connectivity. Meditation might thus be viewed as “mental training” with observable somatic footprints.

Refining the Nature of Meditation

Contrary to suggestions that meditative states are akin to drowsiness, the study finds low delta power and high coherence, particularly in frontal regions, during meditation. Drowsiness typically involves alpha dropout and reduced coherence (Cantero et al., 1999), but Ms maintained stable and coherent alpha-1 throughout. This reinforces the distinction between meditative absorption and low arousal states like sleep or fatigue.

Comparative EEG Literature

Findings by Yamamoto et al. (2006) show similar frontal alpha generation during meditation, pinpointing the anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex as sources. Lutz et al. (2004) showed increases in gamma-band synchronization in expert meditators, with gamma-to-theta ratios elevated during and after meditation. The magnitude of Ms' alpha increase (7.9x baseline) surpasses many reported values, including the 5x increase seen in a Kundalini yoga master (Arambula et al., 2001), reinforcing the unique nature of this longitudinal case.

One of the key strengths of this study lies in its unprecedented longitudinal scope—a 45-year follow-up on the same individual, which is virtually unparalleled in meditation EEG research. This extended timespan allows for a rare and meaningful evaluation of long-term neurophysiological change. Another strength is the multifaceted methodology, which incorporates spectral density analysis, topographic brain mapping, and coherence measurements, resulting in a thorough and nuanced understanding of the brain's electrical activity across time. Additionally, the inclusion of both other long-term meditators and non-meditating controls adds valuable comparative context, helping to differentiate the effects of meditation practice from normal aging or individual variation.

Clinical and Research Implications

Qin et al. raise the provocative hypothesis that meditation may act as “autogenous brain stimulation,” akin in purpose—if not mechanism—to deep brain stimulation (DBS) for neurological conditions. If meditation can reorganize EEG activity toward more coherent and less reactive states, it might serve as an adjunctive or preventive therapy in disorders like anxiety, depression, ADHD, or neurodegeneration.

Future research could integrate EEG with fMRI or MEG to confirm anatomical correlates of frontal alpha-1 activity. Longitudinal studies tracking beginners over years could further clarify the timeline and variability of EEG transformation. Importantly, studies should evaluate whether EEG changes relate to subjective or clinical benefits.

Qin et al. (2009) provide rare and compelling evidence that long-term Qigong practice produces durable changes in the brain’s resting-state activity. The shift from occipital alpha-2 to frontal alpha-1 dominance, along with enhanced intra- and inter-regional coherence, suggests that meditation may sculpt the brain’s electrical architecture in a profound and measurable way. While further research is needed, this study positions meditation not just as a transient state of mental quietude but as a transformative mental discipline capable of altering neurophysiological traits over a lifetime.

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Reference:
Qin, Z., Jin, Y., Lin, S., & Hermanowicz, N. S. (2009). A Forty-Five Year Follow-Up EEG Study of Qigong Practice. International Journal of Neuroscience, 119(4), 538–552.

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